Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing for over a year when her body was found in the front trunk of a Tesla belonging to singer D4vd in September 2025. Authorities discovered the 14-year-old’s dismembered remains in the musician’s impounded car after receiving a call about a foul smell in a Los Angeles tow yard.
Authorities quickly launched an investigation into Rivas Hernandez’s murder, but it took several months before charges were filed against D4vd. The 21-year-old is now facing the maximum sentence for first-degree murder with special circumstances.
Here’s what we know about Rivas Hernandez’s murder and what’s happened in the case so far.
Who Is Singer D4vd?
D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, is an alternative pop artist who gained popularity on TikTok with his 2022 breakout hit “Romantic Homicide.” Born in Queens, New York City, the singer-songwriter spent much of his childhood in Houston, where he moved with his family at the age of 8. D4vd was raised in a strict Christian household and wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music until he was 13 years old.
After having difficulty paying attention in school, he was homeschooled from eighth grade through high school graduation, which allowed him to explore other interests, like music and gaming.
At age 17, D4vd achieved viral success with his indie pop music and signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records in September 2022. It was around this time he adopted his murderous alter ego “Itami,” which means “pain” in Japanese and is based off a manga series he wrote. “He’s basically an agent of chaos,” D4vd said in an interview with the YouTube channel Mahogany. Itami is featured enacting violence in music videos for “Romantic Homicide” and “Rehab.”
Ahead of the release of his debut album, Withered, in 2025, D4vd released a similarly violent visual for his single “One More Dance,” which shows the singer dragging a body and placing it in the trunk of a car.
How Did D4vd Know Celeste Rivas Hernandez?
D4vd reportedly first connected with Celeste Rivas Hernandez via Discord. He and Rivas Hernandez, who was 12 at the time, started playing video games online in 2022. They later appeared together in a livestream on Twitch in January 2024.
Prosecutors allege D4vd began a sexually abusive relationship with an underaged Rivas Hernandez in September 2023, which ultimately ended in her death.
What Happened to Celeste Rivas Hernandez?
Rivas Hernandez was reported missing by her parents several times in 2024, but was last seen alive going to D4vd’s house on April 23, 2025. Four months later, in September 2025, her body was found in two bags in the front trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to D4vd.
In the wake of the investigation, the singer canceled the rest of his Withered World Tour and broke his lease to move out of his Hollywood Hills home. He was also quietly dropped from his record label.
On April 22, 2026, almost exactly a year after she was last seen alive, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner released the official autopsy report ruling her death a homicide.
According to the autopsy report, the teenager died of “multiple penetrating injuries” from a sharp object, including two wounds to her chest and abdomen. Examiners found “skin defects” on her body and determined that her extremities had been dismembered postmortem. The felony complaint against D4vd alleges she was killed the day she disappeared and that her remains were disfigured around two weeks later.
What Was D4vd Charged With?
Following three secret investigative grand jury hearings, D4vd was arrested on April 16, 2026, and subsequently charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances of lying in wait, murdering for financial gain, and murdering a witness. Prosecutors allege that he killed Rivas Hernandez after she threatened to expose the sexual abuse she had endured.
D4vd was also charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The musician has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility for parole or the death penalty.
During a court proceeding on April 23, prosecutors claimed that “a significant amount of child pornography” was found on his phone, though it is unclear if this evidence includes images of Rivas Hernandez.
Where Is D4vd Now?
D4vd is currently being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. His preliminary evidentiary hearing was initially scheduled for May 1 but has now been delayed until May 26.
Check back with Biography.com for additional updates in the case.
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
